GOP Leaders Skip Obama’s State Dinner With Communist China

The cover of a wallet bearing an image of U.S. President Barack Obama’s face, in place of the usual image of China’s late Chairman Mao Zedong, is pictured at a souvenir shop in Beijing, January 18, 2011. (REUTERS/Jason Lee)

Three top congressional leaders are skipping a state dinner for Chinese President Hu Jintao in what may be perceived by China as a snub.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) all said “thanks, but no thanks” to White House invitations for the dinner.

Reid and Boehner are expected to meet with Hu during a separate meeting Thursday on Capitol Hill.

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a vocal critic of China on human-rights issues, is attending the state dinner, only the third thrown by President Obama.

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